Bleacher Report - Articles by Jadi Mwendo

A Fan’s Rant on the Two Team System

Jadi Mwendo — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:33:35 -0400

You people make me sick. Yeah, I’m talking to you; you sports “fans” who claim two teams from the same sport, the same league.

I asked a co-worker the other day what NFL team he was a fan of. He told me he was a Chicago Bears and a Jacksonville Jaguars fan. WHAT?!?

Another co-worker told me he was a New York Giants and Carolina Panthers fan!

How is this possible? How can you be a fan of two teams that have to compete against each other?

Let’s be clear, there are two different kinds of people who watch sports.

There are those who root for a team here and there, but have no real allegiance to any particular team. They might even favor one team over all others, root for that team, and hope they win. This person is not a fan. I don’t know what they are, but they are not a fan.

Then there are those of us who have a personal and emotional stake in a team. We live and die by that team. We bleed that team’s color. We are FANS! We are the guys (and gals) who are on cloud nine when our team wins and in the pits of despair when they lose. We take it as a personal insult when someone talks smack about our squad.

I’m a DIE HARD New Orleans Saints fan. From my childhood through my teenage years, I literally cried when the Saints lost (“You must have been crying a lot”…yeah, yeah, ha, ha. Don’t bother writing it; I’ve heard it all a thousand times). I developed an actual hatred for the San Francisco 49ers because, when they were division rivals, they would always pull some kind of bull crap victory out of their posterior at the last second.

When I got to college, the guy who would become my best friend talked trash about the Saints; we almost got into a fistfight over it. To this day, I get heated when people talk bad about the Saints. I have spent, in total, years out of my life defending the Saints against the brutalities heaped upon them by less fortunate wannabes.

I am a fan!

I have said, and I mean it from the bottom of my heart, that I would sacrifice the ring finger from my left hand for the Saints to win the Super Bowl. How can you feel THAT deeply for two teams who one day might have to do battle?

This all sounds crazy right?

Well, what did you think a fan was?

Fan, according to dictionary.com, is short for fanatic. Fanatic is defined as a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal; an insane person.

Ok, granted, I’m more zealous than most; more so than most true fans. You don’t have to cut off a finger for your team. You don’t have to shed a tear or get into physical altercations to prove your fanhood.

But you can’t be that guy (or gal) who casually follows a team, doesn’t know the backup quarterback’s name, and couldn’t tell you the last championship they won.

And you DEFINITELY can’t be a fan of two teams in the same league.

You know who you are. You sir (or ma’am) are not a fan.

Jason David Makes the Cut As the New Orleans Saints Make All the Right Moves

Jadi Mwendo — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:02:56 -0400

I know, I know, Jason David sucks.

Agreed? Agreed.

Sometimes he doesn’t realize that he is a cornerback and not the concierge at Hotel End Zone. He gets caught looking into the backfield too often. He loses sight of his man way too often.

Let’s face it, Jason David needed to be removed as a starter. He was a defensive liability. He was being picked on relentlessly by opposing offenses. He has been single-handedly responsible for allowing scoring drives.

Agreed? Agreed.

The 2007 fourth-round pick the New Orleans Saints gave to the Indianapolis Colts for David was too much. The four-year, $16.5 million deal he inked in 2007 was way too much. The $2.4 million due to him this year is way too much.

With all of those negative attributes, the Saints should have just cut David—good riddance to bad rubbish.

Agreed? ...Not so fast.

Beneath all of that negative have been some well-hidden positives.

David is an extremely athletic cornerback. He is quick with great recovery speed. David can run hip-to-hip with most NFL receivers. He is a ball hawk who often gets a hand or two on the ball.

In spots, Jason David is a really good cornerback. In spots. The solution to the Jason David experiment is not to cut him. The solution is to limit his spots.

Jason David, as a nickel or dime corner, could be highly effective. By playing significantly fewer snaps, David will have fewer opportunities to fall into his usual bad habits.

By sitting on the bench and watching the game being played from the sideline, David can visualize and focus on technique in a way that he couldn’t if he were a starter.

As a nickel or dime, David would be matched up on the opposing offenses’ third or fourth-best wide receiver, rather than their best wideout. A matchup between David and a third or fourth-string receiver will favor David.

When David is playing well, he can handle a No. 1 or No. 2 receiver. Against a backup wide receiver, David’s athleticism and talent will win out.

By reducing his opportunities to fail, as well as matching him against inferior competition, the Jason David experiment can be salvaged. By keeping him on the team, the Saints maintain quality depth from a commodity they are familiar with at a position of need.

The Saints did the right thing by keeping Jason David.

Agreed? …

An Impatient New Orleans Saints Fan's Dream Scenario

Jadi Mwendo — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:29:28 -0400

I want a Super Bowl champion, and I’m tired of waiting.

As a die-hard New Orleans Saints fan, my hopes of the next year are usually dashed before the next season even begins. But before the preseason this year, like last year...I was sure this was it.

This would be the year all of New Orleans, all of the Gulf Coast, all Saints fans everywhere have been waiting on for 41 years. The Super Bowl.

To even think about getting to the big game, let alone winning it, is enough to make me giddy. And this year, I thought we would have it.

We added Pro-Bowl middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma to address the weakness in that unit. To stop the big play, we brought in two-time Super Bowl cornerback Randall Gay. We drafted one of the best cover corners coming out of college in Tracy Porter. To help with the pass rush, we traded up to get the No. 1(a) defensive tackle in the draft, Sedrick Ellis.

To top it all off, we traded for an explosive offensive weapon at tight end, Jeremy Shockey.

Oh yeah, this was the year.

Then, we started to play the games.

The big-name upgrades on defense that guaranteed so much hope and excitement have, thus far, yielded the same results as last year’s motley crew. No pass rush; can’t stop the big play.

Though the Saints offense is ready-made for the Super Bowl, the defense is holding the team back. If they don’t play any better, it will be next year before this season even starts.

Well, I’m tired of waiting. I want a championship now. I want to feel giddy and excited. I want to brag on my team and rub it in the faces of my co-workers who root for everyone but the Saints.

What if…? What if…?

Remember when the Dome Patrol ruled defense in the NFL? When Ricky Jackson, Sam Mills, Vaughn Johnson, and Pat Swilling swarmed the carpet of the Superdome, knocking quarterbacks senseless? Do you remember Toi Cook and Gene Atkins in the secondary picking off passes that hurried quarterbacks abandoned in favor of maintaining life in their body?

Yeah, I’m giddy already.

What if…?

That team's fans lacked what we have today—a great offense. We lack today what they had then—a great defense.

What if…what if the Saints took their offense of today and teamed it with a defense of the past? Oh, let’s say the best defense, the 1992 New Orleans Saints Dome Patrol.

Can you imagine the terror the 2008 Saints would wreak on the league? On the NFL record books?

Maybe you guys don’t remember the 1992 New Orleans Saints defense. It is only the most underrated defense in NFL history.

We are talking about a defense that allowed only 12.6 points per game. The 202 points they allowed still rank as the seventh-lowest total in a 16-game season in league history.

We are talking about a defense that never gave up more than 21 points to a team the entire regular season! To put that into context, none of the commonly acknowledged all-time great defenses could duplicate the feat.

The 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers allowed an opponent to score 24 points in a game. The 1985 Chicago Bears allowed 38 points. The 2000 Baltimore Ravens gave up 36 points.

Even more impressive is the fact that the '92 Saints played multiple high-scoring offenses—the Steve Young West Coast 49ers twice; the run-and-shoot Atlanta Falcons twice; the K-Gun Buffalo Bills; and the Dan Marino-led Miami Dolphins.

The '92 Saints defense led the league in sacks with 57; pass defense, allowing 154.4 yards per game through the air; and they scored six defensive touchdowns.

They were an awesome defense, just awesome.

Combined with the offense they have now, who would beat them? Oh, I’m so giddy!

Looking at the 2008 schedule, the only teams on the roster who could muster any resistance would be the Minnesota Vikings and the San Diego Chargers.

They should win those games pretty handily, but let’s say they lose. They would still end the season 14-2 and have home-field advantage through the NFC playoffs.

After dispatching whatever measly foe that made it through the wild-card game to the divisional round—the Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, or maybe the Vikings again—they would likely face the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship game.

No problem. Their pass rush would harass Tony Romo all night, and the secondary would make Terrell Owens a non-factor. After the game, T.O. would flip out like Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb were sitting next to him on a 20-hour flight to wherever.

Finally, the Super Bowl! They made it. I’m so excited.

They play the Chargers again in a rematch of the regular-season meeting. Whether they won or lost that one, this one they don’t lose.

All of New Orleans is erupting, all of the Gulf Coast, all Saints fans everywhere are giddy and excited!

Ah, well…what if...?

Arizona Diamondbacks Are Poised To Strike

Jadi Mwendo — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:21:41 -0400

If the Arizona Diamondbacks make the playoffs this season, the other National League contenders are in big trouble.

Big trouble!

At 62-59, the D-Backs are by no means a lock to visit the postseason.

With 40 games remaining, Arizona only leads the NL West by half a game. Los Angeles' acquisition of Manny Ramirez has the Dodgers on fire, poised to overtake the division lead. Offensively, the D-Backs have been inconsistent and have lacked a big bat in the middle of the lineup.

Arizona is limping toward the end of the season. The playoffs are not a sure thing, but this is exactly the position the D-Backs want to be in.

The past two NL representatives in the World Series followed a similar path. Two years ago, at this time, the St. Louis Cardinals were 62-55. A year ago, the Colorado Rockies stood at 61-57.

Nothing was expected from either team.

The Cardinals, who jumped out to a big lead early in the season, struggled through the last few months, but held on to win their division by one game. The Rockies snuck into the playoffs as a wild-card team by winning 14 of their final 15 games, just to force a one-game playoff.

Once in the playoffs, though, both teams got hot, riding good pitching and hot bats to the World Series.

The D-Backs stand in the same shoes of those two NL predecessors.

Arizona has done nothing to raise expectations of postseason success. The Diamondbacks, however, have all the pieces to make the kind of run that leads to the World Series.

Good pitching? The D-Backs have a ton.

Brandon Webb and Dan Haren have been the NL’s best one-two punch. Webb, 17-4 with a 2.88 ERA, will likely win the NL Cy Young; he’s been that good. Even 44-year-old Randy Johnson is starting to hit his stride. Johnson, a five-time Cy Young award winner, is 4-1 with a 1.08 ERA over the past month.

In a seven-game series, having to face Webb, Haren, and then Johnson would be brutally daunting for any offense. In a five-game series, impossible.

Generating offense, though, could be an issue in the playoffs. Only OF Conor Jackson and 2B Orlando Hudson are batting over .300, and Hudson is out for the season. Only 3B Mark Reynolds has over 60 RBI. Not the kind of numbers that inspire confidence.

The D-Backs, however, have already proven this season that they can get hot. Arizona started the season on a torrid pace, going 20-8 in April. They scored over six runs 10 times and 10 runs three times. If they make the playoffs, they would only need to get hot for 11 games. 11 games are doable.

The key to Arizona’s run to the postseason and beyond is Adam Dunn, whom the D-Backs traded for earlier this week. He brings the big bat the D-Backs have been missing. His 32 HR and 76 RBI are exactly what they need to kick start a struggling offense.

Despite the struggling offense, and the real threat from the Dodgers, the D-Backs are coiled and poised to strike, right in the position they want to be in.

It doesn’t matter if they limp into the playoffs like the 2006 Cardinals, or heat up in the last month of the season like the 2007 Rockies. All that matters is getting in.

And if they do, watch out NL. You are in big trouble.

Team USA Proving It's Doomed To Repeat Itself

Jadi Mwendo — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 08:55:58 -0400

A wise man once said, “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

After watching Team USA’s 101-70 win over the Chinese National Team it seemed like 2004 all over again.

I’m disappointed.

Frankly, I’m nervous.

How can the Redeem Team’s 31-point blowout win over host nation China cause such angst? Let me count the ways.

First, and most importantly, the U.S. National Team failed to score in the half court. Against China’s various zone defenses, the Redeem Team of 2008 looked an awful lot like the Dream Team of 2004 which lost three games on its way to a very disappointing bronze medal.

In ’04, U.S. opponents packed in tight defensive zones to prevent the more athletic Dream Teamers from driving the lane which forced them to make outside shots. The U.S. never made adjustments to attack the zone, i.e. moving the basketball around, moving through the zone without the ball, and hitting threes.

Like the 2004 incarnation, the Redeem Team tried to rely on one on one dribble drive and kick to sustain offense in the half court against China. History tells us it won’t work.

Granted, China’s sloppy ball handling, inability to handle full court pressure, and a ridiculously incompetent transition defense rendered the need for half court offense obsolete; however, the few attempts at half court play were miserable.

If this kind of play continues, the Redeemers are going to have to shoot lights out to win gold.

This leads me to reason number two, the inability of the U.S. team to hit three-pointers. Like the ’04 squad, opponent countries will force the U.S. to make shots from the perimeter. Like the ’04 squad, this U.S. team failed, at least so far.

As a team the U.S. shot a woeful 29 percent from behind the line. Not exactly the kind of shooting that will force teams to come out of a zone.

What happens when the U.S. can’t rely on defense and transition scoring for offense? What happens when a team forces the U.S. into half court play? What happens when the Redeemers face excellent ball handlers, teams that don’t turn the ball over like the game was hot potato instead of basketball, and teams that actually get back on defense in transition?

Believe me, those teams are coming. Did you see Spain play? Germany?

Finally, Jason Kidd’s stat line reads like my high school career averages: 0 points, 0 assists, 3 turnovers in 13 minutes of play.

This is the starting point guard of the team favored to win the gold in Beijing?

Thank God for Chris Paul: 6 assists, 1 turnover, and 3 points in 19 minutes. The Chinese could not keep him out of the lane despite a healthy dose of zone defense.

Kudos to Coach K for playing Paul more minutes than Kidd. However, wouldn’t the U.S. have been better served with a great rebounder, low post defender, one who maybe had some experience playing with one Chris Paul?

Has Team USA learned from its history? I sure hope so, but frankly, I’m nervous.